Chapter 698: The Great Divine Power of the Sea of Suffering, the First Wisp of Gold-Nature (Combined Chapter)

It was late autumn, and the weather had already turned cold; even though it was nearly noon, it was still quite chilly.

Yet Mount Hengshan City was rather bustling, especially near the gates of Sishan of the Dragon-Tiger Temple, where the flow of people was like a weaving loom; at a glance, a dense black mass of people filled the view.

Far in the distance, one could see four jade-like giant pillars rising from the ground, supporting an enormous archway.

"This place doesn't even have a few who've entered the Dao…"

Within the crowd, Fayin Fayin Tongzi restrained his aura, afraid that one careless step might crush a pile of them.

He was born of the Red-Eyed Star Ape lineage, entered the Dao by birth, and was further enlightened by a Dao Lord—when had He Ceng ever seen such feeble 'humans'?

"This looks like they're recruiting disciples?"

Fayin Fayin Tongzi was in no hurry to enter the mountain; he observed the surrounding crowd with great interest, and everywhere his gaze fell were martial-world folk carrying blades and swords at their sides.

"Oh? There are actually two cultivators of the Three Realms… holding 'Qi-Isolating Umbrellas'—are they cultivators from outside?"

Fayin Fayin Tongzi's divine sense was immensely vast; though unintentional, he still detected the anomalies hidden within the crowd, and his heart immediately rejoiced.

Something interesting to watch?

The thought arising in his mind, he restrained his aura even further.

……

Beneath the jade-like giant pillars, Yu Yu Xuanfeng stood with arms folded; he was now an outer-gate Elder of the Dragon-Tiger Temple, in charge of this recruitment of disciples.

Yu Yu Xuanji, in her wide Daoist robe, walked over slowly; she was now a true-disciple of the Dragon-Tiger Temple.

"Any good seedlings?"

Yu Yu Xuanji asked her younger brother.

"The mountain gates open every year now—where would there be so many good seedlings?"

Yu Yu Xuanfeng glanced at his own elder sister.

"Then why has Fang Fang Yunxiu also come?"

Yu Yu Xuanji's peripheral gaze swept over not far away, where stood a woman in yellow garments, a long sword hanging at her waist, also watching the entrance ceremony.

After Long Long Xinglie's Lie Ru Dao Gong was achieved, she had already become the foremost true disciple of the Dragon-Tiger Temple today.

"It's not just Fang Fang Yunxiu? It's likely that in a while even the Martial Ancestors and their generation will come…"

Yu Yu Xuanfeng transmitted his voice to remind his own sister, who only knew how to go into closed-door cultivation:

"Those two juniors of the Li family are formally entering the sect today."

"Little Yi and Little Yu?"

Yu Yu Xuanji was somewhat surprised: "They've grown up inside the sect since childhood—why do they still need to formally enter?"

"……Just emulating their third uncle."

As Yu Yu Xuanfeng spoke, feeling something in his heart, he saw the gathered crowd part to make a path, and a pair of siblings walked side by side, conversing in low voices about something.

The two siblings wore a set of Daoist robes; the youth carried a long-handled heavy hammer on his shoulder, while the maiden had a jade Handle-heavy Jiang Mo Chu hanging at her waist.

The two unhurriedly waited until most of the disciples had entered one by one, only then walking toward the mountain gates.

"Li Yi, Li Yu!"

"The Dao Child of the Dragon-Tiger Temple, Li Yuan's niece and nephew!"

"Li Yuan?!"

Seeing the two step out, the surrounding crowd immediately stirred, and all manner of discussion voices instantly rose to a clamor.

Even though five or six years had passed, the common folk of Mount Hengshan City had not forgotten that scene of the heaven-sent prodigy born back then; Li Yuan's reputation was far greater now than it had been during his lifetime.

"Li Yuan…"

Within the crowd, two large black umbrellas leaned together; beneath the umbrellas, a man and woman exchanged a glance.

"Could the information be wrong? I truly find it hard to believe that in such a closed-off place, there is actually someone who could enter the legendary Weitian Dao Sect…"

The speaker was a thin-faced youth, named 'Hong Jiu', a seasoned explorer of hidden realms; upon learning that a life-star had manifested here, he had come together with his Dao companion to investigate.

"It should be true!"

The woman, of graceful and beautiful appearance, answered in a low voice:

"This is a life-star after all; the news has been out for several years, yet not a single person from the Five Great Grotto-Heavens came to investigate—one must suppose that someone here has indeed entered the Weitian Dao Sect."

"Unthinkable…"

Hong Jiu's voice was low: "But this is the Eight Directions Temple; giving up would be a pity indeed."

"The Eight Directions Temple is not something you and I can covet."

The woman was far more composed than he: "The cultivators who have come here are more than just you and I; let us quietly observe the changes."

"Roar~"

As the two conversed, they suddenly heard a dragon's cry; following the sound, they saw that at the location of the Dragon-Tiger Temple's mountain gates, a gale suddenly rose, and the mist surged like a sea of clouds.

Within it, a azure dragon seemed to appear and disappear, emitting a dragon's cry that resounded through the city walls.

"Is this the method this sect uses to test talent?"

Both were somewhat astonished; such a method would have to be left behind by at least a Divine Palace-realm cultivator, yet in this closed-off world, there was actually someone who could cultivate to the Xiu Cheng San Jing?

"This…"

The two exchanged a glance, when suddenly another 'tiger's roar' exploded; within the gale, a fierce tiger leapt into the air, blew away the sea of clouds, and vanished without a trace in an instant.

"Those two little ones actually have Third-Grade talent?"

The woman was somewhat astonished.

While she was pondering, she suddenly heard a peal of thunder; raising her eyes to look, she saw that in the extreme distance the gale howled, dark clouds gathered densely, and a human figure strode forth.

"The bird that sticks its head out has come!"

Hong Jiu, who recognized at a glance that this was the 'Wind-Calling Rain-Summoning Art', felt a slight stir in his heart.

"Boom!"

Almost the instant the thunderous roar came rolling in, a figure shot up into the air from the dragon-and-tiger mountain range; behind him, divine light intertwined as round after round of crimson suns rose into the sky.

"Divine Palace realm?!"

From afar came a startled exclamation, and in the next instant the dark clouds dispersed and that figure vanished without a trace.

'Trash!'

Hong Jiu cursed inwardly, but if it had been him, he too would most likely have turned tail and left.

A life is only one; unless inside the Combat Sacred Hall, the vast majority of cultivators are unwilling to clash with peers whose foundations are unknown.

Anyone who could cultivate to the Xiu Cheng San Jing in such a sealed-off heaven and earth could absolutely not be some nobody.

"Hoo~"

The auras of two Zun San Jing cultivators flashed and vanished in an instant.

Many commoners of Mount Hengshan City didn't even notice the change; only those who had come out to bring in their laundry upon hearing the thunder muttered a curse.

"Continue!"

Before the mountain gate, Yu Yu Xuanfeng cast a reverent glance toward the rear mountain, then shouted loudly.

He poured his inner Qi fully into this shout, and with one great roar he suppressed the startled uproar before the mountain gate.

"Xiao Yi, Xiao Yu, come back to the mountain with me!"

Yu Yu Xuanji reacted extremely fast; together with Fang Fang Yunxiu she shielded the two little ones, and with a flicker of their figures they had already returned to the mountain gate.

"Come, let my boy here have a try too!"

At this moment, a voice as deep as a great bell rang out.

A burly giant nearly a zhang tall strode out from the crowd, pushing the little fellow of about seven or eight in his arms toward the mountain gate.

"Ba Ba Wanli, what are you here to join the fun for!"

Seeing the big man, Yu Yu Xuanfeng glared at him: "You were only tested last year, why are you back again?"

"Laozi bought him a whole gourd of Yi Bai Xing!"

Ba Ba Wanli glared back: "Forget the dragon and tiger crying in unison, even if just one shows up that'd do!"

Ba Ba Wanli?!

In the crowd, Hong Jiu and the others gave a start, instinctively looking over; seeing it was such a bushy-bearded giant, they figured it was just a coincidence.

"And you think you're worthy of being called Ba Ba Wanli?"

Hong Jiu sneered inwardly; seeing the crowd dispersing, he had no intention of lingering.

Just then, a violent gale rose within Hushan, and one figure after another streaked across the sky like rainbows, about to flee into Mount Hengshan City.

"Who is this now?"

Hong Jiu and his companion quietly retreated into the shadows.

"Tian Tian Shezi, you dare!"

From within Longhu Temple a furious roar thundered, and in the next instant a great hand-seal formed of true Qi stretched across the long sky; with a thunderous 'BOOM—', those few figures were already slammed into the ground.

Dirt and stone flew, dust billowed.

"Hoo!"

Almost at the same moment, figures came from the mountain one after another, landing outside the ruins — it was Long Xi Xiang, Long Long Yingchan, and the others.

"Why?"

Pang Pang Wenlong walked over slowly; as the dust cleared, inside were the pallid-faced Tian Tian Shezi, and the troubled-looking Huang Huang Longzi, Chi He Lian, and Gui Gui Laoxian.

"Why?"

Tian Tian Shezi staggered and couldn't get up, so he simply slumped on the ground and sneered: "Nothing more than seeking a way to survive!"

"Li Yuan has only been gone for seven years, and already you're in such a hurry?"

Long Long Yingchan pinched his long brows and couldn't help sighing at the words: "Alone, what could you possibly use to sacrifice to that outer-domain Poison Dragon God?"

"It was that out-of-domain cultivator just now, wasn't it?"

Pang Pang Wenlong's expression was cold: "He didn't even draw me away, and yet you dared to make a move — courage indeed commendable."

"Why would I need to draw you away?"

Suddenly, a drifting voice came; a middle-aged cultivator with a cold, hard face walked slowly out of the shadows, swept a glance around: "Hong Jiu, Lin Qiu, aren't you coming out yet?"

"Han Han Yinlin!"

"That mad dog!"

In the shadows, Hong Jiu and the others cursed inwardly, but had no choice but to step out.

"Hm?"

Seeing another three emerge, Pang Pang Wenlong's expression remained the same, but Long Long Yingchan and the others couldn't help a slight change of look — these three were unmistakably also cultivators who had forged the Divine Palace!

"Han harbors no ill intent; I only wished to have a proper chat with you, but alas your hostility toward us runs too deep — you struck the moment you raised your hand, leaving me no choice but to resort to this."

The cold, hard-faced middle-aged man sighed.

"Han Han Yinlin, what do you want?"

Hong Jiu swept him a cold glance, then cupped his fist toward Pang Pang Wenlong:

"Please don't be alarmed, everyone — we have no acquaintance with this man, and we have absolutely no intention of making an enemy of any of you!"

Pang Pang Wenlong's expression didn't change: "What do you wish to discuss with me?"

"Eight Directions Temple!"

Han Han Yinlin held nothing back: "Han has heard that your sect possesses a token that grants entry to Eight Directions Temple; I have come only to borrow that token for a use."

"Hm?"

Hong Jiu and the others' expressions stirred slightly, and they couldn't help looking toward Pang Pang Wenlong.

"What will you trade for it?"

Pang Pang Wenlong's brow lifted slightly.

"Void-avoidance talisman!"

Han Han Yinlin glanced at Tian Tian Shezi, whose face had darkened: "The reason this fellow Daoist is willing to cooperate with me, Han, is precisely because of the Void-avoidance talisman!"

Pausing briefly, he saw the shift in Pang Pang Wenlong and the others' expressions, and continued:

"All of you have been tainted by the aura of the Eight Directions Temple. Ordinary means cannot get you out of this place, but this Void-avoidance talisman of mine was obtained from a Fifth-Realm strange land. If you hold it and activate it at the instant of the great upheaval of heaven and earth, you will surely be able to flee this place."

"The great upheaval of heaven and earth?"

Pang Pang Wenlong seemed somewhat tempted.

"When the Eight Directions Temple truly opens wide, the great sun here will surely explode. At that moment, activate the Void-avoidance talisman and you can escape this place."

Han Han Yinlin forced a stiff smile.

"And if it doesn't work?"

Hearing this, before Pang Pang Wenlong could speak, Nie Xianshan could not help but let out a cold laugh.

Han Han Yinlin only looked at Pang Pang Wenlong. He was quite wary of this man who had managed to cultivate to the Divine Palace stage and refine magic power in such a sealed-off place:

"What do you think, sir?"

"And if I don't trade?"

Pang Pang Wenlong looked at Hong Jiu and the others. Han Han Yinlin's expression did not change; the rest seemed to be hesitating.

"This concerns the Weitian Dao Sect. I dare not accompany you…"

The cultivator named Lin Qiu sighed and turned to leave.

"Han Han Yinlin, they all say you're a mad dog. I didn't believe it before, but now it seems you really are a mad dog!"

Hong Jiu's face flickered between dark and light:

"Aren't you afraid of the Weitian Dao Sect?"

"The Weitian Dao Sect—what a grand name. But let's not even mention whether that Li Yuan has joined the Weitian Dao Sect. Even if he has, can a mere disciple represent the entire Weitian Dao Sect?"

Han Han Yinlin let out a long breath:

"What has Han to fear?"

"Madman…"

Hong Jiu was about to turn and leave when he suddenly felt his body stiffen. His pupils contracted sharply as he saw his own Dao companion and Lin Qiu, who had been turning to leave, all frozen in place.

Han Yinqiu started in fright and looked back.

He saw, atop the dragon-tiger memorial archway supported by four jade pillars, a young Daoist in Daoist robes, dressed as a boy attendant, leaning askew against the archway with a half-smile:

"Really not afraid?"

"You?!" Han Han Yinlin's heart trembled: "F-forbear, I…"

"Crack~"

Under the gaze of Pang Pang Wenlong and the others, Han Yinqiu didn't even have time to beg for mercy before he, along with the very space he occupied, vanished.

As if swallowed whole by some fierce beast lurking in the void!

"This…"

Seeing this scene, Hong Jiu and the others were all horrified.

"A Dharma Realm?!"

In the ruins, Gui Gui Laoxian let out a piercing shriek and instinctively tried to flee into the void, but he only felt the light and shadows around him shift. In an instant, when he raised his head again, he saw a 'giant face.'

"A spirit turtle bearing a stele—pity it only has the Second Realm."

Toying with the little spirit turtle in his palm, Fayin Fayin Tongzi stood up and, from his high vantage on the archway, looked down:

"I am the boy attendant of Lord Lord Tianyu of Mount Mount Dongxuan, here on the Lord Daoist's orders to relocate the home star of Li Yuan, the true inheritor of the sect!"

The Lord Daoist's boy attendant!

A true inheritor of the Weitian Dao Sect?!

Before the gates of Longhu Temple, everyone felt the boy immortal's aura was deep as an abyss and vast as the sea, while the Martial Immortal Sect disciples waiting in the distance, who knew the weight of a Mount Mount Dongxuan true inheritor, all gasped and drew cold breaths.

'So this boy immortal really is from the Weitian Dao Sect… Then Li Yuan is the one who drew down the guiding divine light here?'

'Direct entry as a true inheritor?!'

Elder Zhong and the others felt their scalps go numb.

Meanwhile, Huang Ying, who managed the star charts, was drenched in cold sweat. He had just been as anxious as an ant on a hot pan—no other reason than that he had also sent people here to search for the star.

"A true inheritor of Mount Mount Dongxuan?"

"The Lord Daoist's boy attendant?"

"Boy immortal, you've come to relocate a star? A star—do you mean the very ground beneath our feet?"

Before the gates of Hushan, Pang Pang Wenlong and the others did not know its weight, but they had heard the words "relocate a star."

For a moment, they felt as if a great stone had been lifted from their hearts and could not help but burst into laughter.

"A true inheritor of the Weitian Dao Sect…"

In the ruins, Tian Tian Shezi stood dumbfounded, while Huang Huang Longzi and Chi He Lian exchanged a glance, both shocked and horrified.

……

Eight Directions Temple Grotto-heaven.

At the foot of Sishan, which Dong Dong Ershisan had cleared in advance, the burly man from Grandfather Grandfather Kuhai stood with his hands behind his back, slowly Dengshan. At a certain moment, he paused slightly, his gaze falling on a stone stele:

"Stele of Li Yuan?"

Dong Dong Ershisan, who had deliberately led him here, felt his heart ease slightly at the sight, yet could not help being startled.

The Weitian Dao Sect was indeed a sacred ground transcendent of the world, but those who could dispatch the burly man before them were likely few.

That boy actually had such great face?

It's only been a few years...

This stone stele was left by Li Yuan during his first visit to the Eight Directions Temple, less than a month in. At that time he had only the Achieved realm of Blood Exchange, and Grandfather Grandfather Kuhai paid it no mind.

But when his gaze swept over the line below, his eyes couldn't help but narrow.

【Bone age twenty-six, ten years of cultivation, initial root bone mid-to-lower, entering the temple with a talent of Unparalleled (Upper), twenty-seven days after entering the temple, ascended eighty-nine steps, talent transformed to 'Zhao Zhao Tianxing' grade…】

"Initial root bone, mid-to-lower?"

Grandfather Grandfather Kuhai was stunned for a moment, then recalled what that meant: "A talent not even reaching first grade, five realms in ten years—no, six realms in ten years?!"

Dong Dong Ershisan was pondering something when he suddenly heard a 'shua'—the big man raised his hand and snatched, tearing a mirror out of the void itself.

It was the Wan Yuan Zhao Shen Mirror.

"You…"

Dong Dong Ershisan had no time at all to stop him.

And that mirror, gripped by him, went 'ka-ka-ka' non-stop. After quite a while, Grandfather Grandfather Kuhai loosened his hand, uncertain and amazed:

"It's not even broken…"

"No good, I have to see clearly!"

Grandfather Grandfather Kuhai stamped his foot hard.

"Boom!"

The Eight Directions Cave Heaven trembled violently, as if about to flip over entirely.

Before Dong Dong Ershisan could react, he was pinned to the side. He saw incomparably complex divine prohibitions burst forth from the big man's body, covering the entire Eight Directions Cave Heaven.

"Huala-la~"

The void roiled violently like boiling water, with countless lights and shadows weaving and flickering within.

The next instant, under Dong Dong Ershisan's gaze, time within the entire Eight Directions Temple cave heaven reversed backward at a speed beyond imagination, countless lights and shadows weaving before his eyes.

"Whoosh!"

After several instants, the void stopped trembling, and the various lights and shadows slowly unfurled like a curtain.

Within the curtain of light, ten thousand scenes unfolded.

Dong Dong Ershisan focused his gaze and saw Grandfather Grandfather Kuhai appear within the light and shadow—and what that light and shadow reflected was precisely Li Yuan's first entry into the Eight Directions Temple.

The big man, like a ghost, circled around Li Yuan of that time, frowning now and then, scratching his head now and then.

And the same scene appeared within all the lights and shadows—the big man seemed to have stepped into different temporal dimensions, observing Li Yuan of every period simultaneously.

"This…"

Dong Dong Ershisan's eyelids twitched wildly.

In his life he had also been a cultivator of the Qi Jing realm, and he was not without any recognition of the scene before him—this big man was far more terrifying than he had imagined.

He could not imagine what kind of divine ability this was…

"Pu!"

Within a few breaths, the lights and shadows shattered.

"Could this kid also possess a Dao-Comprehending Body?"

Grandfather Grandfather Kuhai grabbed that ball of light and shadow in his hand, muttered a few words, then suddenly raised his head and swallowed the light and shadow whole: "This can't be let anyone else see…"

Dong Dong Ershisan heard this sentence, and immediately felt blackness before his eyes. When he opened them again, he found the big man had long since vanished.

"He erased a segment of my memory…"

Dong Dong Ershisan's brows knit tightly, yet he did not feel he had lost anything, until the human-headed strange bird let out a startled cry:

"Grandpa Gu!!"

The human-headed strange bird's voice was piercingly shrill, as if it had received an enormous fright.

Dong Dong Ershisan followed the sound and looked. He saw the Wan Yuan Zhao Shen Mirror suddenly appear in the air, reflecting the light and shadow of the outside world. That towering big man strode through the You Jing realm, chains clutched in his hands.

An ancient temple behind him was being dragged forward by hundreds and thousands of chains.

"Hong-long-long!"

A tremendous rumbling echoed through the You Jing realm, and also echoed through the present world.

On Hushan, Pang Pang Wenlong and the others looked up at the sky. They saw the Ru Le Jiu Chong Gale Heaven above churn with raging flames, the firmament a sheet of crimson, and an indescribable terrifying aura permeating heaven and earth.

Immediately after, on the Dayun Star, amid the shocked and horrified gazes of countless people.

The three great suns suspended high in the sky, as if drawn by an invisible force, at a seemingly slow yet in truth extremely fast speed, were dragged toward the depths of the star sea!

"A wretched job!"

Everyone cried out in horror. Only Fayin Fayin Tongzi sighed mournfully and stamped his foot lightly.

"Weng~"

They saw divine light burst forth, and Fayin Fayin Tongzi's body swelled to an extreme. In the blink of an eye, his head had already poked into the Ru Le Jiu Chong Gale Heaven, as if about to reach the very edge of the star sea.

"This immortal child…"

Terrifying qi spread in all directions, tearing apart the sea of clouds. A giant ape with crimson eyes stood with feet upon the mountains of the earth and head pressing against the gale and star sea above.

It steadied the various tides and stellar tremors caused by the disappearance of the three great suns.

……

Shi Liu Zhong of the Returning Ruins.

In the dim and profound darkness, eighteen great Vajras strode forward, shouldering the Tai Huang Eight Treasures Palanquin, and stopped at a place of profound and strange mystery.

They saw seven-colored mysterious light weave here like ten thousand rivers of stars, with infinite phenomena appearing and vanishing within, as if ten thousands of divine beings were practicing divine abilities and the great Dao within.

Occasionally a wisp of aura leaked out, and it too could reflect ten thousand wondrous scenes.

"Eh?"

Within the Eight Treasures Palanquin, the solemnly majestic Zhao Zhao Xuanyuan Bodhisattva seemed to sense something. He lifted the carriage curtain and saw, amid the swirling seven-colored mysterious light, wisps of sword light flickering on and off.

"This is Lord Lord Tianyu's Demon-Slaying Sword?"

Zhao Zhao Xuanyuan subconsciously pinched her fingers, but they were instantly jolted apart by an invisible force; golden blood dripped from her fingertips and could not flow back.

"Bodhisattva?"

Outside the carriage, the eighteen Great Vajras were all somewhat terrified.

"Go."

Zhao Zhao Xuanyuan took a deep look, then lowered the carriage curtain.

The next instant, the eighteen great monks swung their thirty-six long legs, and with a 'whoosh' vanished into the void and darkness without even daring to look back.

……

……

"Many thanks, Master!"

In the bamboo tower, Li Yuan's emotions surged, and he could not help but bow once more toward the quiet bamboo grove.

After a long while, he finally calmed his emotions, but also felt it unsuitable to practice his art; he instead took out his disciple token and went to the Scripture Pavilion to exchange for a copy of the 'Candle Dragon True Form Diagram'.

"A True Form Diagram from the Mysterious Two-Yin Yang Dao — from what Shu Shu Haoshou said, even ordinary inner-chamber disciples cannot exchange for it?"

Putting away his disciple token, Li Yuan swallowed a spiritual pill and closed his eyes to enter meditation.

"Hum~"

In his sea of consciousness, light and shadow intertwined.

Before long, Li Yuan sensed that True Form Diagram.

Within it, gloom churned, dark and heavy without a single ray of light, as if all things had returned to the void and all spirits ceased to exist; then in an instant, it blazed bright within, without a trace of darkness.

Day and night alternated, so intricate and complex.

He did not know how long it took before, amid repeated day-and-night transitions, Li Yuan glimpsed a terrifying figure that seemed human, dragon, and snake all at once, as if combining all forms.

"Hoo~"

A moment later, Li Yuan opened his eyes; the spiritual incense had already burned out.

"This Candle Dragon True Form Diagram is far more complex than other True Form Diagrams. Worthy of being the one Master recommended — it is indeed extraordinarily profound."

"The Candle Dragon embodies the transformations of yin and yang."

One visualization yielded no result, but Li Yuan did not mind; when he previously visualized the Xuanhuang Qianshan Qilin True Form Diagram, it also took him many attempts before succeeding.

In truth, comprehending True Form Diagrams was already extremely difficult; cultivators who spent thirty or fifty years unable to comprehend a single mid-grade True Form Diagram were common.

"I wonder how things are going?"

Li Yuan took out his communication sphere; Fayin Fayin Tongzi had not yet replied. He wanted to inquire, yet feared disturbing the other party.

"My state of mind is still not steady enough."

Shaking his head inwardly, Li Yuan lit spiritual incense and continued visualizing the Candle Dragon True Form Diagram, while splitting off a thread of consciousness to enter the Ni Wan Shen Jing.

He stood atop the clouds, looking down upon the entire Zheng Zuo Shen Jing.

The Enlightenment Tea had the ability to nourish the divine soul; at this moment the Zuo Shen Jing was still slowly expanding, though the margin was no longer large. Compared to the Shen Jing, what benefited most were the various spells he cultivated.

The greatest use of Enlightenment Tea was still refining spells.

At this moment, under Li Yuan's perception, the spell divine prohibitions circulating within the Five Extreme Temple had all greatly improved, and were still slowly improving.

"Qing Di Yan has progressed the most, already at sixty-one layers of prohibition; next is Mu Xing Dun Fa... water arts next, then fire arts..."

Li Yuan clicked his tongue in amazement.

The efficacy of this cup of Enlightenment Tea was countless times greater than that of the Wu Fa tea; at this moment, even his Wu Xing Dun Fa and Five-Element Immobilization Art had already reached forty layers of prohibition!

"This is just one cup of tea — if I finish thirty cups, won't the prohibitions be fully cultivated?"

Li Yuan's heart was stirred, but he only thought about it.

His meager foundation and cultivation were far from enough to drink Enlightenment Tea like water; he estimated it would take at least ten years to drink a single cup.

"One cup every ten years is enough!"

Li Yuan was already very satisfied.

He descended upon Xuanteng Island, where the various True Forms either spread their wings or cried softly, welcoming his arrival.

Enlightenment Tea also had considerable benefits for the growth of True Forms; because tea belongs to wood, the one that benefited most was the Azure Dragon True Form coiled around the Xuanteng Tree.

Its claws and fangs had all grown, its scales complete; at the slightest thought, it would soar into the sky, wielding myriad bolts of thunder; with another thought, it would transform into motes of dust and vanish without a trace.

"It's already no inferior to the Kun Peng True Form when I first came to Mount Mount Dongxuan!"

Li Yuan was pleased in his heart.

The benefits gained by the other True Forms were far from comparable to the Azure Dragon's, yet they had all grown considerably; the Fire Phoenix and Xuanhuang Qianshan Qilin were also quite serviceable.

Moreover...

"Screech~"

The Jin Chi Peng bird soared into the sky and cried; it dove down, and with one open beak, streams of light from the Black Emperor Temple flowed into its body — precisely the various water-element spells.

Counting the Water-Element Dun Fa, Water-Element Immobilization Art, Cold Yin Water Sword, Dripping Water Sword, and Ice Soul Divine Light, there were fully nine.

This was the upper limit of a single Spirit Form!

"Screech~"

The nine spells flowed into its body, and the Jin Chi Great Peng bird once again spread its wings, leaping to the highest point of the Shen Jing, bursting forth with dazzling divine light like a golden great sun!

(End of this chapter)